Every year you find it to be the same thing. The holidays come around and this just means you’re going to gain weight, but why? You find the holidays make you really busy, seeing families, buying gifts, going to parties. The food temptations make you forget about your diet because the diet is too stressful to maintain during the holidays. And the money? Well, you already know. It seems as though after every holiday you only gain weight and have to start all over. You find yourself unmotivated and lack the drive to start working towards your goal again.
Don’t worry, you’re not alone. We’ve been there, our clients have been there, and millions of other people are going through that same problem. Before we go on, make sure you’re sitting down because this is a big one; THERE IS A WAY. There is a way to save money, lose weight, and yes, still enjoy the holidays properly like you did every year. This time around, you won’t be beating yourself up post the holidays.
In order to make this holiday different you will be required to do a few things, this isn’t just a “sit and read” article. This holiday you have to do things different from the rest, because this is the only way you’ll get different results compared to the past holidays. So let’s get into it!
HOW TO MAKE TIME FOR WORKING OUT AND LOSING WEIGHT
Your schedule is beginning to fill up. Family dinner here, and holiday party there. You need time for gift shopping, and time to cook for your dinner parties and potlucks. With all that going around, the time for yourself is diminishing, including the time for the gym. We get it; it’s stressful, and you’re starting to feel overwhelmed. You’ll be happy to hear, that there is still a way to lose weight. There still is a way to fit in a few workouts.
First thing you must do in order to break this holiday occurrence is prioritize. Write down the most important duties of the week. Attending parties, cooking, etc. Now be honest with yourself; what’s really important, and what is not. Not everything you do is important and in fact, some things are just wasting your time as you are not benefiting from them.
Next, you will make a DETAILED schedule with everything inside it. When we say everything, we mean EVERYTHING. Schedule everything to the hour. Do this every week, and plan for the week ahead. Put in those family dinner, parties, work, cooking, and any other activities you have to do throughout the week. Got it all down? Perfect. Now it’s on a piece of paper rather than inside your head. You will find that you will be far less stressed out and feel less overwhelmed.
Now look at the schedule. Surely enough, you’ll find 1-2hr gaps somewhere within your week. No gaps? Then this is where you might want to wake up earlier to fit in that workout. You don’t want to? We get that, but how badly do you still want to lose that weight?
You’ve already lost some weight, so why stop?
If you keep this habit up, not only will you NOT gain weight, but by the end of the holidays you will lose weight, we promise you. You will be one step closer towards that goal of yours.
Takes time to drive to the gym? Have kids to possibly take care of? Here are a few at home workouts you can do. They only take 16 minutes, yes, you read that right, 16 minutes, but are extremely effective.
DAY 1 HOLIDAY HIIT
Reverse Lunges (30s)
Squat Jumps (30s)
High Knees in Place (30s)
Split Jumps (30s)
REPEAT 4x with 30s in between each exercise.
DAY 2 HOLIDAY HIIT
Mountain Climbers (30s)
Push Ups (30s)
Burpees (30s)
Split Jumps (30s)
REPEAT 4x with 30s in between each exercise.
You’re currently losing weight because you’re working out 3-4 times a week to the gym. You are staying consistent. Consistency is the key towards weight loss, not perfection. So if you skip a workout or 3 within December, don’t beat yourself up, learn from it. Most importantly, this should not be a reason to stop.
Keep going, and don’t just TRY, but PROMISE YOURSELF, for yourself and no one else, that you WILL be consistent.
If you keep this up, by the end of December you will have not only maintained your weight but also lost weight and gotten closer to your goal. You will be happy with yourself, and proud of your hard work.
HOW TO EAT WELL DURING THE HOLIDAYS WHILE STILL ENJOYING THE HOLIDAY FOODS AND LOSE WEIGHT
Oh those yummy cookies, cakes and chocolates. You look at them, and think you shouldn’t, then grab one, and end up feeling horrible. You show up to a potluck and say you will only grab veggies and meat, and end up grabbing everything, then go home beating yourself up. What if we told you, you could still eat those? How would you feel if you could eat all those things and still lose weight? Let us tell you this then, it’s 100% possible.
First, you need to understand that in order to lose weight you need to be at a deficit. We like to follow this simple calculation for finding your caloric intake.
Your Weight (In Pounds) x 12 = Your Total Calories
The biggest mistake people make is believing that they are on a deficit but in reality aren’t. You are eating “low calorie” foods and eating “less”. Our best advice to you is to download a calorie tracking app and log in all your food for that day. Be HONEST with yourself if you really want to find the truth. More likely than anything, you will find that you are actually not on a deficit or that you’re macronutrient consumption is really unbalanced.
What are macronutrients? For the sake of this already long article, we keep it simple and say they are your Protein, Carbohydrates and Fats. Of your total calories 27% should be protein, 33% should be fats, and 40% should be carbohydrates. It’ll look something like this;
Total Calories
Ex. 1500 Total Calories (Macronutrients in Grams)
Protein (27% of total) = 405 Calories
405 / 4 = 101 grams Protein
Carbohydrates (40% of total) = 600 Calories
600 / 4 = 150 grams Carbs
Fats (33% of total) = 495 Calories
495 / 9 = 55 grams Fat
In simple terms, a quarter of your plate should be proteins, less than half of your plate should be carbohydrates, and a third of your plate should be fats. Fat are found in some meats, in cooking oils, salad dressings, and other sauces. When you are at a dinner or potluck, keep this plate split in mind.
Now what if it’s a big dinner and you love all that food, or you’re going out to a restaurant for a work party. That’s where fasting comes in place. Fasting is not meant to cut calories down, but more as a way to save calories. This will allow you to go to a party and enjoy more food and those foods that are higher in calories that you would normally walk away from. Here are two examples of fasting you could follow;
OPTION 1:
6AM - 12PM
FAST
12PM - 8PM
EAT Your Total Calories
OPTION 2:
8PM - 12AM
FAST
7AM - 2PM
FAST
2PM - 9PM
EAT Your Total Calories
During the fast you may drink water, coffee and tea (plain), and sparkling water. You are also allowed to have a small fruit, like an orange or apple. The point isn’t to be starving. First week might be hard, but going forward, you will find your body will get very used to it.
You don’t want to be eating bad all throughout the holidays. Balance is important, and if you still want to lose weight, you have to keep in mind that whole foods are necessary in your diet. We encourage the the 80/20 rule. Simply put, 80% of your diet you want to to be whole foods that are really nutritious, 20% of your foods could and should be the less nutritious foods we love so much. Let’s say you are going to spend a big part of the day at a Christmas market, allow yourself to enjoy those foods, and the days around it throughout that week consume whole foods. If you’re going to a big dinner, throughout the day eat whole foods. You will still lose weight, while also allowing yourself to enjoy those holiday treats.
HOW TO NOT BE BROKE BY THE END OF THE HOLIDAYS AND LOSE WEIGHT
We all have been there. By the time Christmas comes, you are in $-800. You’re left recovering until your next paycheck. That doesn’t have to be the case for this year. Instead of buying gifts, you can make them. Making gifts will not only allow you to put your personal touch on the gifts and be creative, but also save you lots of money. You’d be surprised how much people prefer those over a gift card or some expensive gift. Money can’t buy love and appreciation. So what can you make?
Here are some ideas:
-Photo album,
-Take them to a free or less expensive market (great for the whole family to go together),
-Memory jar of all the most important dates since you’ve known this individual,
-Buy a wine they like and bake cookies to match with it,
-Make a calligraphy handwritten card
Now if you do have money to spare on yourself even post buying gifts, then spend it on something that would be good for both yourself and them. During the holidays, gyms and personal trainers offer a lot of discounts. Consider purchasing a set of Bootcamps for them and yourself so that you can go together, or passes for classes. You might even want to consider purchasing tandem or group training! This way, they benefit physically, along with yourself.
FINISHER
The holiday’s are a time to enjoy with your friends and family, but it should not involve you sacrificing your goals. These methods will keep losing weight but also keep you from temptations and possibly binging. This plan will help you stay consistent in working out during the holidays, and help you continue shedding that belly fat. You won’t have to be avoiding dinners and parties, and this will allow you to fully embrace the holidays with your friends and family. Lastly, you will save money by not spending excessively on gifts that might not be necessary, and you have the option to customize your gifts. You can even get them to workout with you and work towards their goal along your side! We want you to enjoy the holidays, and start the new year off having lost some, if not all, your belly fat. You should not hit pause on your goals, you should start now. If you are interested in starting the new year looking better, message us to book in a strategy call HERE, to figure out a plan for you!